Last week’s blog post was about reaching a state of calm instantly.

If you’ve been struggling with anxiety and stress for a while the answer I gave for it may be frustrating to you.

It’s a simple answer, and most people who know a lot about stress and anxiety reduction like I do would give you the same answer.

Breathe.

It’s so simple…

…but it’s not really, is it?

If it were really that simple, there would be no Xanax prescriptions.

If it were really that simple, road rage would not exist.

If it were really that simple, the world would be a happier place.

So why is it that whenever anyone asks for a cure for stress and anxiety the top experts in the world give the same answer?

Breathe.

Is it about the breath?

Yes, it is.

It’s not just about the breath, though – that’s only half of it.

When I and many of my fellow experts in the field of stress & anxiety reduction give this answer without the second half of it, we’re really not serving the people we’re supposed to help.

The Second Part

So, what’s the second part?

It’s another one-word answer, so bear with me while I explain.

The one-word answer is: mindset.

The way to instantly reduce anxiety is by coupling a mindset of positivity with deep breaths of relaxation.

There’s your formula.

So, what’s the problem?

Fear.

Fear is a huge problem that is keeping us pinned down in places we don’t want to be.

It’s the only thing that is between you – where you are now – and the success and happiness you want is fear.

When you read that last sentence, how did it make you feel?

When you read it – what were the thoughts that came to your mind?

Did that sentence help you to feel hopeful, or did it cause you to feel discouraged?

Did that sentence prompt argumentative thoughts such as “no, that’s not the only thing because of ________________.”

Those feelings and those thoughts that popped up as you read that sentence:

The only thing between you and the success & happiness you want is fear.

…are not accurate.

The thoughts you have in your head are compiled as a result of all of the experiences you have had in your life so far.

Your subconscious mind is programmed to remember certain things.

The programs come through your life experiences over time.

Your programs are different than mine because of our different lives.

My three sisters, though they grew up with the same two parents as I did, have different programming because the messages they received while growing up were not identically interpreted.

There are two main ingredients that make memories for you – and memories are what create your patterns.

Here’s the formula:

Anything that is familiar in your life has that categorization because your brain has recognized it over and over again.

Intense things in your life also make impressions.

An example is when I was in fifth grade.

My family moved to a new state that year.

I was 10-years-old, and the move was made in December just before the holiday break from school, so I got an extended time out that year.

Normally that would be no problem for a kid, but when the front end of your extended holiday includes leaving your friends for a strange town where you haven’t any friends… it’s not the best thing in the world.

Especially at that age when pubescent hormones are starting to swirl like mad…

I distinctly remember that holiday break unlike any other.

Why?

Because nearly everything that was familiar to me was changed, and that experience was extremely intense.

It’s why I remember that it was December 7th that we rolled into Little Rock and that we had to stay in a cramped motel that night because the nicer places wouldn’t allow our pets.

It’s why I remember how intimidating it was to walk up to the kids who lived on the block where our rental house was… the house we were in until my parents could find the right home to purchase.

I don’t remember so many details from any other childhood holiday break as I do that one.

That’s because my emotions and subconscious mind were sent into simultaneous tailspins.

You Are Always Thinking & Weighing Against Fears

Your mind knows that if you insert your hand in a pot of boiling water that it will hurt… which is why you are careful around boiling water.

You don’t have to really think about it.

…or do you.

Yes, of course, you do.

It’s one of the pieces of memory or pieces of information that is creating your patterns.

Many fears aren’t bad.

Fear keeps us from being hurt… until it doesn’t.

The fears we experience as adults do serve us in that way, but those aren’t the ones that we need to change.

The fears we need to change are the ones that are holding us back from our goals.

This is one of the things I explain in this YouTube video.

How do you tell the difference between healthy fear and one that is holding you back?

Weigh them against your goals.

Take stock of what you want to accomplish, and then be brutally honest with yourself about all the reasons you haven’t accomplished them.

Write down all of your excuses and then read them to yourself.

100% of your excuses are based on fear.

Are you ready to be free of them?

Free of fear?

Free of excuses?

Many of my clients have had incredible success after working through our Freedom Design Matrix with me and the other coaches at GILD.

The Freedom Design Matrix takes your current patterns, weighs them against your goals, and then opens a conversation between your conscious and subconscious mind so we can reprogram the patterns.

What would reprogramming your subconscious mind do for you?

For most people, it’s beyond what they initially anticipated.

Better communication.

More organization.

Higher levels of success.

Take a moment to imagine what your life would be like – what you could accomplish, have, and be – if you could simply overcome those things that are holding you back.

The sky’s the limit here.

It’s pretty amazing.

I talk about a lot of this in my new book Truth Bomb which is available through Amazon – just click that link and we’ll take you right there and you can choose a Kindle format or paperback. (I’m a book-in-hand kind of girl, personally.)

If you’re ready to take a step to make this happen- to step through your fear and make a simple phone call -then click here to schedule a breakthrough session with me & we’ll create a plan just for you that will bring your goals into reality.